2023-12-12 20:26:44
It’s D-day for him Paris Saint-Germain of Luis Enrique. This Wednesday night, the French team plays its future in the Champions League. After their tie on the edge and with controversy against Newcastle, the Parisians depend on themselves, but they face a difficult match against Borussia Dortmund (10 points), already classified and current leader of the “death group” in this Champions League – also made up of Newcastle (5) and AC Milan (5), both with options to qualify if PSG (7) lose. It is quite a final for the project of the former Spanish coach.
Since the state fund Qatar Sports Investments acquired the club from the French capital in 2011 and catapulted it to the elite of European football based on petrodollars, a European curse has accompanied it. The 1.8 billion euros spent since then in signings—about 300 million in the last summer market—have not been enough to win any Champions League. From the historic 6-1 comeback for Barça in 2017 to the epic 3-1 in 2022 of Real Madrid caused by a surreal slip by Donnarumma, the resounding failures of the nouveau riche PSG delighted football romantics. Despite all these fiascos, the team owned by Qatar always met a minimum objective: to overcome the group stage of the Champions League.
Put in danger?
If his team loses at Signal Iduna Park, only a carom would save Luis Enrique from becoming the first coach of the Qatari era in Paris who does not reach the round of 16 of that competition. It would be, without a doubt, a major failure for one of the best teams in Europe, led by Kylian Mbappéalong with Ousmane Dembélé, Kolo Muani, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Lucas Hernandez… And that fiasco would perhaps activate the stopwatch of the usual trainers guillotine in the complex owned by Qatar. Since 2011, up to eight coaches – many of them highly prestigious, such as Carlo Ancelotti or Unai Emery – have been on the bench at the Parc des Princes.
“I always try to be on the positive side of things (…) And the positive side of this day is that in a very difficult group, it depends on us“said Luis Enrique in the press conference prior to the match, when asked about the pressure that weighs on him in this early final. According to the newspaper The Teamhe position of the Asturian coachwith contract until 2025, is not in danger in case of an early European elimination. Although a sudden dismissal seems unlikely, the match against Dortmund could be a turning point for PSG, which leads Ligue 1 with a four-point lead over Nice.
Dembélé’s sensitive loss
PSG faces the game against Dortmund with significant losses, a very irregular team in the Bundesliga (5th) but competitive and solvent in the Champions League. The player that the Spanish coach will miss the most will be Ousmane Dembele, discharged due to sanction. Although his individual numbers in this first third of the season are not spectacular —one goal and six assists in all competitions—the former Barça winger has a leading role in the Parisians’ attack, thanks to his devilish speed and ability to go one on one. The Korean Kang-in Lee and the young Barcola sound like possible replacements. Luis Enrique has also explained that the Portuguese Gonçalo Ramos is a serious doubt.
Related news
“We are not speculating, I think we have scored in all the Champions League games,” recalled the Spanish coach, whose team is one of the offensive in all of Europe. With an average of 2.5 goals in Ligue 1 and possession percentages similar to those of Barça or Guardiola’s Manchester City, this PSG is an attractive team for the viewer to watch. Luis Enrique is “one of the best coaches in the world. Not because of what he has won, but because of his playing style,” Nasser al-Khelaïfi, president of the Parisian team, defended in July during the coach’s presentation.
Despite the green shoots in the game, this PSG has also suffered humiliating defeats, especially the 4-1 defeat by Newcastle in October. In fact, Luis Enrique has a certain reputation as a diesel coach, whose teams need a few months to reach cruising speed. If he is eliminated in Dortmund, the failure will be resounding. But if they win and do so with conviction, the name of the French team should be noted among the serious contenders for this Champions League.
#Luis #Enriques #PSG #risking #life #Dortmund